


This House supports you and I together.

by jedikhaleesi



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Romance, can't bring myself to tag anyone else, ft. some appearances by viktuuri, pls help me i haven't written in two years, speech and debate au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 06:17:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10848186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedikhaleesi/pseuds/jedikhaleesi
Summary: On the road to the Tournament of Champions, Seung-Gil accumulates a few points, is tagged in too many photos, and crushes on JJ. Featuring Guang-Hong's Facebook albums, Seung-Gil's texts, and JJ's Instagram posts.





	This House supports you and I together.

**Author's Note:**

> Hahah the title is a bad debate pickup line. All the good ones are too jargon-y. This is based on my experience in high school parliamentary debate, a world I am a little too familiar with. Parli has different customs regarding TOC than other debate events because it isn't recognized by the National Speech & Debate Association, some of which I've tried to explain whenever relevant.

**_1\. Sears Invitational at University of Chicago_ **

“We did well,” Phichit said, grinning at Seung-Gil over the roof of his car, and Seung-Gil nodded stiffly, very aware that not many debaters made it past preliminary rounds at the first tournament they attended with partners they’d never worked with before. “The next tournament is totally ours.”

Seung-Gil nodded again, but before he could say good night and escape to his car, a familiar voice rang out. “Hate to break it to you two, but the next tournament is going to me and Izzy!”

It was the annoying team from Montreal High School again, the one who had beat them in octofinals. Seung-Gil had been pleased to see them soundly thrashed in the quarterfinal round. When he turned around, the more annoying of the two smirked at him. Seung-Gil was not pleased to see that even in the terrible light of the parking lot, the boy was still good-looking. He had his arm slung around his partner and his hip cocked to one side. “Montreal Leroy and Yang is gonna take Mississauga, just you wait!”

Seung-Gil rolled his eyes. “Sure,” he muttered, and tried to walk away again, but Phichit stopped him. “I want a selfie with JJ and Isabella,” his partner exclaimed. “Come on, Seung-Gil! Hold up your trophy!”

“Don’t be a bad sport, Seung-Gil,” the boy- JJ- added, still smirking. Seung-Gil wanted to slap the smirk off his annoying face, but acquiesced and held up his trophy to please Phichit. After a few minutes of camera flash and Isabella complaining about ghostface, he was finally let go. He started off immediately for his car, ready to go home to calculus homework, silence, and his dog.

Unfortunately, silence didn’t seem to be in his near future. JJ caught up to him within a minute. “Are you ready to get crushed at Mississauga?” the other boy asked.

The tournament next weekend was being held at the University of Canada at Mississauga. While it was really called the Hershey Invitational, most debaters just called it Mississauga. Seung-Gil would have liked to go, but both he and Phichit had decided to take their SATs that weekend instead. Mississauga was only the second major tournament of the year. There were still a good four more, not including smaller regional tournaments, so he wasn’t worried. There was time enough to earn points for the Tournament of Champions in April.

Over the course of the debate season, debaters earned TOC points by making it to elimination rounds at tournaments. The number of points received varied by how far the debaters got and how many teams were in attendance. Once one accumulated a certain number of points, they were considered “qualled” to TOC. Seung-Gil had never qualified before, mostly because he had never had a steady enough partner to even consider the possibility. This year the threshold was thirty-three points. For making it to octos, he and Phichit had only received nine points. They only had four more chances, but he knew they could make it.

“I’m not going,” he replied shortly.

“Oh,” JJ said, looking almost disappointed for a moment. Then he perked up. “Wow, the competition just gets easier and easier all the time! That’s good news for me and Izzy!”

Seung-Gil rolled his eyes again and couldn’t stop himself from bursting JJ’s bubble. “Both St. Petersburg AP and Hasetsu KN are going to Mississauga. It’s still going to be a tough field. Don’t be overconfident.” St. Petersburg Altin/Plisetsky and Hasetsu Katsuki/Nikiforov were the two teams widely predicted to come out on top over the course of the debate season, and for good reason. Otabek Altin and Yuri Plisetsky were only sophomores, but they were confident, strategic, and knew how to switch between technical and informal styles. Together, seniors Yuuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov had received the most awards of all the debaters currently on the circuit. This was their first year partnering together, but with Katsuki’s speaking skills, Nikiforov’s charisma, and their combined and overwhelming knowledge and experience, they were already feared. Edging out wins against those two teams would be rare and a real triumph for anyone who accomplished it.

“It’s not overconfidence when you know it’s going to happen,” JJ proclaimed, and Seung-Gil hated him a little bit more. Most teams never broke to the quarterfinal elimination round, much less won a tournament. Over the past two years of his debate career, Seung-Gil had had only moderate success. This year, he wanted to change that. He wanted success so badly it hurt, but it was a goal he knew that he might never reach. JJ’s proclamation hurt because it trivialized the goal he’d held in his heart since freshman year.

Luckily, they were approaching his car, which meant an impending end to the conversation. Seung-Gil pulled the door open violently, not apologizing when it smacked JJ in the leg and left dust on the other boy’s pants. He tossed his backpack in the back seat, laid his trophy in the passenger seat, and pulled out as fast as possible.

“Bye, Seung-Gil!” he heard. He accelerated away in response.

 

_Phichit Chulanont (phichit+chu) tagged you in a photo: “First time partnering with…”_

_King JJ (Jjleroy!15) is now following you._

_isabella (bella.yang) is now following you._

_King JJ (Jjleroy!15) sent you a photo by phichit+chu: “First time partnering with…”_

_King JJ (Jjleroy!15) sent you a message: Looking good._

 

Seung-Gil gaped at the terrible photo his partner had just posted. Phichit, JJ, and Isabella all looked good, but his eyes were closed and his hair was in disarray. Why had Phichit posted this? He knew they had taken several photos. There had to be a better one.

 

_To: phichit+chu_

_I look terrible in the photo you posted._

_it’s cute !!!!!_

_it’s a good photo seung-gil_

_it’s the best one out of the ones we took_

 

He didn’t bother replying. Instead, he followed JJ and Isabella back, then quit the app. He was about to chuck his phone across the room so he could do his homework in peace when it buzzed with another notification. Because he was a weak human being who loved to procrastinate, he unlocked his phone again to stare at the text he had just received from an unknown number.

 

**_Unknown_ **

_hi seung-gil this is jj_

_How did you get my number?_

_phichit gave it to me_

_Stop texting me. I’m studying._

_oh sorry_

  
  
Seung-Gil was actually surprised when JJ stopped texting him, but physics homework was calling his name. He created a new contact, threw his phone across the room as was his custom, and went back to being productive.

* * *

  1. **_Hershey Invitational at University of Canada at Mississauga_**



Whenever Seung-Gil couldn’t go to a tournament, he went on Facebook and lived vicariously through Guang-Hong Ji’s photos. The sophomore had already put up pictures from day one of Mississauga, and Seung-Gil clicked lazily through them, occasionally commenting or liking some but mostly leaving them alone. There was a blurry photo of Viktor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki looking extremely surprised captioned, “MY IDOLS”, a high-quality photo of Leo de la Iglesia with his headphones in, and one of Yuri Plisetsky angrily batting the camera away. So far, the same photos as usual. Seung-Gil clicked to the next photo, which was of JJ doing something with his hands to spell out his own name. It was captioned, “‘I’m the king JJ!’”

He rolled his eyes. His mother said he did that way too much.

 

**_JJ Leroy_ **

_I saw the picture Guang-Hong posted of you._

_its a good photo rite??_

_Sure._

_You have your own pose now?_

_ofc_

_im king jj after all_

_King of what?_

_debate duh_

_Sorry, when did we start talking about Viktor Nikiforov?_

_ouch dude that hurts_

_wish me luck?_

_Why would I do that?_

_izzy and i are slaying_

_finals are in a few_

_Are you debating in finals?_

_yeah vs otabek and yuri_

_Good luck, then._

_You’ll need it._

_wow dude you have no faith in me_

_ok g2g_

 

An hour and a half later, Guang-Hong posted a photo of JJ and Isabella with their arms around each other, triumphantly raising trophies. It was captioned, “Your Mississauga 2017 champions!”

 

**_JJ Leroy_ **

_Good job._

_your luck worked!!_

_now you gotta wish me luck every tourney_

_That’s not happening._

 

Seung-Gil scoffed and, though his phone buzzed several times after that, didn’t respond any more.

 

 **Guang-Hong Ji** posted a photo.

Your Mississauga 2017 champions, **JJ Leroy** and **Isabella Yang** ! Congratulations to everyone who attended, including **Otabek Altin** and **Yuri Plisetsky** , who performed superbly in finals!

[photo]

 

 **JJ Leroy** thanks guang-hong! and **Phichit Chulanont Seung-Gil Lee** i told you so!

 **Phichit Chulanont** Haha I guess you were right JJ. Congrats!

 **Yuri Plisetsky** stfu jj

 **Otabek Altin** Thanks Guang-Hong.

 **Isabella Yang** omg guang-hong ur such a dear <3 <3 tysm

 **JJ Leroy Seung-Gil** i know you liked this picture i literally got a notification respond to me

 **Seung-Gil Lee** Congratulations **Isabella** on a well-deserved win. I’m looking forward to debating you again.

 **Isabella Yang** tysm seung-gil that means a lot!!!  <3

 **Yuri Plisetsky** this is the sickest burn

 **JJ Leroy** you congratulate izzy but not me???

 **Seung-Gil Lee** I already congratulated you over text.

 **Yuri Plisetsky** lmao jj ur such a hoe for attention

 **Yuri Plisetsky** ty guang-hong

 **Yuri Plisetsky** can i post this on ig i’ll give u pc

 **Guang-Hong Ji** sure!

* * *

  1. **_Capital Invitational at Beijing High School_**



Seung-Gil was definitely not a morning person. He stumbled out of his car and in the general direction of the Beijing High School gymnasium. Luckily he reached the gym door without incident, but it was blocked by none other than JJ Leroy.

“Good morning!” the other boy chirped. Seung-Gil wanted to twist his head off. He was evidently a morning person. The only morning person he could deal with was Phichit and that was because they were partners.

“Good morning,” he grumbled. He’d leave JJ intact for now, but only because Isabella hadn’t done anything to warrant the sudden death of her partner the morning of the tournament. Also, notification of the round could go up while he was attempting murder, and he hated leaving things half-finished.

“Didja miss me?” JJ asked brightly.

“Were you waiting for me?” Seung-Gil asked suspiciously. “Where’s Isabella?”

JJ shrugged. “I don’t know. I was actually waiting for her, but I can walk in with you too. It’ll be just as terrifying to the novice debaters. You’ve got your bitch face on.”

If possible, Seung-Gil scowled harder. “Fuck you,” he muttered, pushing open the door and heading inside.

“Seung-Gil!” Phichit sang from where he was standing next to, lo and behold, Isabella. “Good morning!”

“I thought you said you were waiting for her,” he accused JJ.

The other boy shrugged again. “She must have slipped past me. She’s pretty sneaky.”

“Or you’re just blind.”

“Hey, my eyesight is a perfect 20/20!”

“Clearly you need to get your eyes checked if you’re missing entire people.” He stopped by PHichit and Isabella and dropped his briefcase at his feet. Isabella watched her partner sputter in amusement, but Phichit was looking back and forth between them curiously. “Phichit, what? Did I miss something?”

“Oh, nothing,” his partner replied. Then, without warning, his phone camera went off. “Smile! Oh, that’s a cute photo of you and JJ.”

“I’m sure it’s terrible,” he muttered. “You and your photos. Only Guang-Hong is worse.” And, as if summoned, another camera went off. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Seung-Gil groaned, facepalming. “Guang-Hong-” It was too late. The little devil who everyone believed to be the most adorable debater on the circuit had already run off with his camera in hand.

His phone buzzed. _phichit+chu has tagged you in a photo._ “Really?” he asked his partner. “It’s not even 8 A.M.”

“It’s a cute photo,” Phichit repeated defensively. “Your eyes are open this time. See?”

“Phichit, I look like a mess in this photo!”

“You always look good,” JJ said unexpectedly. Seung-Gil stared at him incredulously. He had expected some sort of response about how much better JJ looked in comparison. Definitely not a compliment. “Of course, I always look better.”

There it was. “I’m the king JJ, after all.” _Good God,_ he thought to himself.

Thankfully that horror of a conversation was discontinued when someone yelled, “Postings are up!” and everyone tried to load the page on their phones at the same time. It had been veering towards the uncomfortable.

One day, five preliminary rounds, and three elimination rounds later, Seung-Gil found himself staring at his final round opponents: Hasetsu Katsuki/Nikiforov, two debaters he had idolized for going on three years. For the first time in his life he actually had a shot of winning a debate tournament.

 

**_JJ Leroy_ **

_still @ beijing?_

_Yes. The final round is about to begin._

_who r u up against_

_Hasetsu KN._

_good luck !!!_

_i believe in u_

_Thank you. I’ll need it._   


An hour later Seung-Gil was staring at a trophy that declared him the champion of the 2017 Capital Invitational. Phichit had refused to stop taking photos and was posting at twice his normal rate. Yuuri and Viktor were gamely posing for the camera as Seung-Gil tried to comprehend exactly how he had won an entire debate tournament. It was only when he was sitting at the wheel of his car with the gigantic trophy on his lap that it finally registered, and he let out a loud whoop that hurt his own ears.  


**_JJ Leroy_ **

_i saw phichit’s posts_

_congrats !!!!_

_Thank you._

_I still can’t believe it._

_dude u r a gr8 debater_

_u totally deserve this_

_Thank you. That’s very kind of you._

* * *

  1. **_Makomanai Sekisuiheim Invitational at Sapporo High School_**



“Is this a thing now?” Seung-Gil asked. JJ was standing in front of the cafeteria door expectantly.

“It’s totally a thing,” the other boy declared, and the corners of Seung-Gil’s mouth twitched upwards involuntarily. JJ smiled at him in turn, a wide, toothy smile that was ten times more attractive than the smirk he put on for photos. “Come on, they’re waiting for us.” JJ slung an arm around his shoulders, and Seung-Gil didn’t pull away like he would have if it had been anyone else.

“Get out of the way, JJ!” someone snapped angrily, and Yuri Plisetsky shoved past in a whirl of leopard print and stringy blond hair. JJ stumbled into Seung-Gil, who was forced to support him before he fell.

“Thanks dude,” JJ laughed. At such a close distance his eyes were very blue.

“Sorry about that,” Otabek Altin apologized, coming to stand next to them. “He’s… you know, Yuri.”

“It’s all right, man.” JJ released Seung-Gil to hug Otabek. “It’s good to see you! How’s St. Petersburg treating you?”

“I’m doing well, thank you.”

Seung-Gil felt incredibly awkward just standing around and watching them talk, but he didn’t want to go over to Phichit. He could see his partner talking to Yuuri Katsuki animatedly across the room. Now a senior, Yuuri had attended Detroit Preparatory Academy from his freshman to junior year. After a nervous breakdown at the Tournament of Champions his junior year, he transferred to Hasetsu High School, his local public high school. At Detroit Prep, he and Phichit had been partners and best friends. Their friendship was so strong that after Yuuri transferred, Phichit left Detroit Prep for Bangkok High School, his own public high school. Whenever they met at tournaments, which was often, they had a tendency to block out the rest of the world unless a building burnt down. Or debate rounds were about to happen. Seung-Gil had had personal experience with this from the Capital Invitational.

Thus he was left with a dilemma: finding someone he knew and liked enough to talk to until it was time to go to their round. It was quickly solved for him, although not in a way he would have liked, when Sara Crispino came bounding up to him, her brother and Emil Nekola behind her. Sara occasionally grated on his nerves, but she was a good person. However, her brother was an incestuous creep, and Nekola was a puppy who followed them everywhere. Nekola really needed to find better friends. Or at least ones that paid attention to him.

“Seung-Gil!” she cried delightedly, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” he replied stiffly. He never knew how to respond to her enthusiasm.

“We’re going out for lunch later. Do you want to come with us?” This was accompanied by her batting her eyelashes, which did not go unnoticed by her brother. Michele started turning red immediately.

“No thank you,” he said quickly, moving past them, but they continued following him.

“Hey! Show a lady some respect!” Michele bellowed. “She wasn’t done talking to you! Why don’t you want to go to lunch with us? Is my sister not good enough for you?”

“That’s not what I meant. Sara is wonderful.” He would take Phichit and Yuuri blocking him out of their conversation and their world over dealing with the Crispinos any day.

Sara cooed at a high pitch, but Michele only got angrier. “What are your intentions with my sister, huh? Trying to play hard to get? You wanna see how interested she is in you?”

“I have no intentions towards your sister.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Men always have intentions towards Sara!”  
Seung-Gil wanted desperately to escape. You could never win with Michele. “I don’t have intentions towards Sara. We’re just friends!”

“Just friends?” Sara asked, voice suddenly very small.

Now he wanted to die. He walked faster.

“Jackass, you made my sister sad! Get back here! Why isn’t my sister good enough for you to date, you pretentious ass?”

He stopped and threw his hands in the air. “I don’t want to date _anyone_! Not your sister, not you, not anyone in this room!”

Silence.

He must’ve been a lot louder than he thought. Phichit was headed towards him now, a concerned look on his face. “Please leave me alone,” he said, forcibly keeping his tone even. “It was very nice to see you again.”

 

**_JJ Leroy_ **

_you okay after ur brush w the lannisters?_

_The Lannisters?_

_omg have u never seen got_

_Got?_

_omg u haven’t_

_game of thrones??_

_westeros???_

_daenerys targaryen???_

_dragons???_

_spiky iron throne??_

_I don’t know what you’re talking about._

_ok what i was trying to say was r u ok after the crispinos ambushed u_

_there has to be a shorter name for them_

_the crispsibs_

_crispies_

_crisps_

_rice krispies_

_I’m fine. They’re just hard to deal with sometimes._

_ur like their favorite person ever_

_like even more so than emil and he’s always with them_

_I wish I wasn’t. They make me nervous._

_they can be nice_

_Only in round._

_sara’s nice out of round too_

_I find her somewhat annoying sometimes._

_not your type, huh?_

 

Seung-Gil paused and looked at that message again. He’d never thought too much about dating. It was just another part of the heteronormative high school experience that he’d never really cared for.

 

**_JJ Leroy_ **

_I don’t know my type._

_dw beautiful i’ll help u find it ;)_

_Like I told Michele earlier, I’m not interested in dating._

_would u date if u found the right person_

_I don’t know._

_u just haven’t found the right person yet then ;;;;))))_

_What are all these winking faces for?_

_And how would you help me? Have you even dated anyone?_

_yeah_

 

JJ didn’t elaborate. Hours later, Seung-Gil looked at his phone and wondered if he’d struck a nerve. When he looked up, JJ was there, smiling brightly at him, so he must not have messed up that much. He liked JJ. He didn’t want to mess up what they had.

“Miss me?” the other boy asked coyly. Inexplicably, he felt himself flush, and he hastily shoved his phone into his pocket, even though he had nothing to hide.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he scoffed.

“Wanna go to lunch?”

He contemplated the pros and cons of going to lunch. He needed to eat, but if the Crispinos saw him alone with JJ, he’d never hear the end of it. “Only if I can bring Phichit.”

Some emotion, too quick for him to identify, flashed in JJ’s eyes, but the other debater simply said, “It’s a deal if Izzy can come too.”

When Seung-Gil thought about it, he realized that very few people genuinely liked JJ. Yuri Plisetsky actively hated him; despite having attended Montreal High for about a year, Otabek Altin was clearly indifferent to him; Viktor Nikiforov wasn’t even aware who JJ was; and even Yuuri Katsuki, the politest person on the planet, tried to avoid him. Phichit liked JJ, but Phichit liked everyone. Seung-Gil… Seung-Gil was fond of him, he supposed. He was thinking about this because as soon as they entered the restaurant everyone made to leave. Everyone they passed said hi to Phichit, most greeted Isabella with a smile, and Seung-Gil received a few waves, but no one bothered with JJ. They just moved towards the exit like he wasn’t even there.

All the better for Seung-Gil, he supposed. If being JJ’s friend made everyone avoid him, he would never have to interact with anyone else ever again.

“Hey, you in there?”

He snapped back to reality. JJ was waving at him, smiling kindly. His smile made Seung-Gil feel like his chest was being crushed, a strange and very new feeling. “We’re next in line. What are you ordering?”

Seung-Gil didn’t think of himself as a particularly kind or generous person, but when Guang-Hong asked for a ride home, he didn’t hesitate. The sophomore was surprisingly quiet as Seung-Gil drove, preferring to click through the photos on his camera rather than prattle on about the ongoing tournament as he was wont to do with everyone else. At one point, Guang-Hong stopped clicking through photos and stared down at the screen as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“What are you looking at?” Seung-Gil asked.

A beat, then the other boy said, “I’ll show you later. I don’t want to distract you.” It was rather uncharacteristic of him, but Seung-Gil let it go. When they parked in front of  Guang-Hong’s house, Seung-Gil asked, “Do you want to show me now?”

The boy bit his lip. He was clutching his camera to his chest protectively. “You have to promise not to freak out.”

“What is it?” Seung-Gil asked incredulously. “Why are you so scared? I don’t bite.”

Guang-Hong gave him a judgmental look.

“Okay, so I bite. Come on, Guang-Hong. I promise I won’t break your camera. Show me the picture already.” He held out his hand expectantly, and reluctantly, Guang-Hong placed his camera in his hand.

It was a photo of him and JJ taken when they entered the Sapporo High gym. JJ’s arm was around his shoulders, and Seung-Gil was looking at him strangely. The expression on his own face was startling. He’d never seen himself look like that before.

“You’re looking at him like he hung the moon in the sky,” Guang-Hong whispered, and Seung-Gil looked at him in confusion. “Look at this too.” He took his camera back and showed Seung-Gil more pictures. This photo was in the restaurant where they had gotten lunch earlier. He was staring at JJ, completely ignoring Phichit, who was obviously trying to get his attention. “I didn’t know you had a crush on him. I’m-”

“I don’t have crushes,” Seung-Gil interrupted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never dated-” His voice was getting louder. “-and I’ve never liked anyone romantically, and I have about three friends, and I’m not interested in dating! JJ is annoying and overconfident and arrogant and I’m only friends with him so people will stop talking to me and I don’t have to socialize!”

Guang-Hong had shrunk into the recesses of his seat, eyes wide, and Seung-Gil felt like a total jerk. “Don’t post those,” he said quietly.

“I won’t,” Guang-Hong murmured, and he scrambled to get out of the car.

**_Phichit Chulanont_ **

_Phichit, I have a problem._

_what is it?_

_I think I like someone._

_as in…_

_As in I want to be more than friends with them._

_that’s not a problem i was prepared for_

_What do I do?_

_the best thing to do is get it off your chest and just tell them_

_Phichit I’ve never been romantically interested in anyone before._

_seung-gil…_

_Phichit I am freaking out. What do I do?_

_you could listen to my advice_

_it’s good advice, i promise_

_I can’t just tell him!_

_calm down_

_everything’s going to be okay_

_That’s a meaningless platitude._

_seung gil i am trying to help_

_I know. I’m sorry._

_you’re gonna be okay_

_Okay._   
  


**Guang-Hong Ji**

Sunday, November 27 at 3:17pm.

[photo] #squadgoals - with **Phichit Chulanont** , **Seung-Gil Lee** , **JJ Leroy** , and **Isabella Yang**.

**Leo de la Iglesia** i’m hurt

 **Yuri Plisetsky** we’re not friends anymore gh

 **Phichit Chulanont** okay but we actually look epic in this photo

 **Phichit Chulanont** [photo comment]

 **Isabella Yang** hahaha omg. love ur photoshopping skills phichit

 **Seung-Gil Lee** You complain about not having time for homework and then you spend time on this.

 **Phichit Chulanont** for that i’m cropping u out of the squad

 **Phichit Chulanont** [photo comment]

 **Isabella Yang** HAHAHA

 **Seung-Gil Lee** I didn’t want to be a part of this “squad” anyways.

 

**Guang-Hong Ji**

Sunday, November 27 at 3:17pm.

[photo] - With **Seung-Gil Lee** and **JJ Leroy**.

**JJ Leroy** wow this is a good pic

 **Seung-Gil Lee** Stop taking bad photos of me. Or at the very least, stop posting them.

 **Guang-Hong Ji** no

 **Seung-Gil Lee** Why do people think you’re cute?

 **Guang-Hong Ji** cute and evil are not mutually exclusive things

 **JJ Leroy** seung gil this is a good photo 1!!!

 **Seung-Gil Lee** It’s really not. You need to get your eyes checked.

 **JJ Leroy** stop saying that omg my eyesight is perfect like the rest of me

 __ **Yuri Plisetsky** nothing is perfect about you

* * *

  1. **_Eric Bompard Invitational at Paris University_**



When Seung-Gil approached, JJ swept open the door and bowed grandly to him.

“Good morning,” Seung-Gil said, amused.

“Good morning!” JJ’s hand found the small of his back and stayed there, burning a hole through his suit, until he sat down next to Phichit. Yuri Plisetsky, who had been scrolling through his phone and occasionally showing Phichit pictures, got up immediately, snarling.

“I hope you have a bad morning, the whole lot of you!” He stormed off. Seung-Gil watched as he greeted Yuuri Katsuki with a solid roundhouse kick, and as the older debater gave him a smile instead of a scolding. He would never understand that dynamic. Plisetsky idolized Katsuki but was determined never to admit it at any time in his life, and Katsuki treated him as a beloved little brother who could never do wrong despite his constant anger and endless tantrums.

“He was showing me pictures of his cat,” Phichit said. He didn’t look up from his phone. “He’s very endearing when he talks about his cat.”

“Is that why he likes cats? And animal prints?” Seung-Gil asked. Yuri’s obsession with animal prints was legendary in the debate community, from his leopard backpack to his tiger-striped tie. It was most likely only topped by Phichit’s obsession with his own hamsters.

“Probably.”

Seung-Gil happened to look up at JJ, who was still staring at the tiny blond sophomore. The space between his eyebrows was creased in a frown, and he looked decidedly unhappy. The hand that had been on Seung-Gil’s back was hanging limply in empty space. “JJ, what are you doing?” he asked.

The other boy startled, but turned to him with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Oh, nothing. Contemplating how long it will take before Yuri outright murders me in the morning instead of just insulting me.”

“He seems to dislike you,” Seung-Gil noted.

JJ shrugged. “I don’t know why. He’s hated me ever since Mississauga. If I could just know what I did, maybe I could fix it. Maybe that could fix my friendship with Otabek too while I’m at it. As far as I know, that’s when Otabek stopped-” he stopped talking and headed into the crowd of debaters, not saying goodbye.

Seung-Gil watched him go. JJ’s shoulders were slumped dejectedly. Something tightened in his chest and made it a little harder to breathe. Was it empathy? Was it something else? He couldn’t tell. It wasn’t like he’d felt much.

“If you keep looking at him like that everyone’s going to call you a lovesick fool,” Phichit said. He hadn’t looked up the entire time.

“Like what?”

“Guang-Hong will take a photo and then you can see it for yourself.”

“He already did,” Seung-Gil snapped. “It was a terrible photo.”

“You know, you say that you look terrible in every single photo. It’s like you can’t see yourself or something. You have two working eyes. You never look bad in any photo.”

“Are we talking about me or you?”

“Just because I always look good doesn’t mean I can’t compliment you too. Friendship is all about affirmation and uplifting each other. Plus, it’s the truth.”

 

**_JJ Leroy_ **

_Are you all right?_

_ofc_

_why would i be anything else_

_You seemed unhappy earlier._

_yuri never bothers me lol_

_That’s clearly not true._   


JJ never replied to that last text.

 

**Guang-Hong Ji**

Saturday, February 13 at 11:37pm.

[photo] What’s he looking at on his phone? - With **Seung-Gil Lee**.

 

 **Phichit Chulanont** $10 on a pic of his dog

 **Yuri Plisetsky** $20 on a pic of jj

 **Seung-Gil Lee** Yuri, that would be creepy. And Phichit, you’re wrong.

 **Phichit Chulanont** what were you looking at??? i have to know!!! 

**Seung-Gil Lee** I was texting someone.

 **Phichit Chulanont** you don’t even text me who are you texting

 **Seung-Gil Lee** I was texting JJ.

**Phichit Chulanont JJ Leroy**

**Yuri Plisetsky** do i win the bet

 **JJ Leroy** wow of course i warranted such focus, such attention from the ice prince !!! only king jj could work this magic!!

 **Yuri Plisetsky** stfu

 **Seung-Gil Lee** …

 

**Jjleroy!15**

[photo]

185 likes

Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day! Hoping to surprise a special someone with this beautiful bouquet ;)  


Seung-Gil felt like something had speared him straight through his heart. He threw his phone across the room much harder than necessary. Was this what jealousy felt like? He didn’t like it at all. Who was this “special someone”? An ex? Someone new? Someone flashy and loud just like JJ? Someone kind and polite like Yuuri Katsuki? Someone outgoing and compassionate like Phichit? Someone adorable and spirited like Guang-Hong? Beautiful like Isabella or dramatic like Viktor Nikiforov or eternally calm like Otabek Altin or musically inclined like Leo? JJ liked music. Leo liked music. JJ liked Otabek. Everyone liked Isabella and Phichit and Yuuri.

He was thrown back to the time JJ had asked about his type. What was JJ’s “type”? Who did he like enough to want to give flowers to and even post about it on Instagram? And wasn’t JJ going to Paris University tomorrow for the second day of the Eric Bompard Invitational? That meant he was interested in a debater. That probably meant he liked intelligence, articulation, and poise. But every debater Seung-Gil knew and could think of had all three of those qualities. And how would he be able to face JJ and whoever he was giving those flowers to?

There was only one thing to do, and Seung-Gil knew how to do it well. It had been implemented successfully throughout his entire childhood. The strategy was called “avoidance of everyone except when absolutely necessary”, and it had stopped him from having to converse and make friends for years. It would be easy. He had attended the Eric Bompard Invitational twice before; he knew the ins and outs of Paris University decently well. In his mind’s eye, he started scoping out hideouts, places he could go between rounds that would be hard to find but easy to access and close to the student hangout so he could always find Phichit.

Slipping back into the avoidance lifestyle was all too easy. In the morning, twenty minutes earlier than was his custom, he entered the cafeteria through the back entrance, surprising his partner. “Text me when round information is out,” he told Phichit, placing his earbuds in his ears. “I’ll be around.”

Phichit looked at him strangely. “What-”

Seung-Gil spotted the top of JJ’s head coming through the door. “I’ve got to go. Text me.” The presence of his earbuds prevented anyone from talking to him, even though they weren’t playing anything. Isabella waved at him with a look of confusion on her face as he walked out the back door of the building and she walked in.

 

**_JJ Leroy_ **

_where r u_

_Around._

_where is that?_

_Don’t worry about it. Enjoy your time with your Valentine before elimination rounds start._

_that’s what i’m trying to do!_

_There’s a “but” coming, isn’t there?_

_but i can’t find them!_

_Huh. Where have you looked?_

_everywhere inside the student hangout_

_Not everyone spends all their time in the student hangout._

_where do you think they would go?_

_I don’t know._

_What are they like?_

_Would they be in an area with a lot of people or do they like to be alone?_

_they’d rather be alone_

_i think_

_All right, Mr. “I think”._

_Try the garden next to the cafeteria._

_If that doesn’t work, there’s another garden that’s a few minutes’ walk away from the back entrance._

_ok thanks_

_No problem._   


Unfortunately, he had just revealed his two best hiding spots to JJ. He cursed, picked up his backpack, and evacuated. Maybe he should just go back to the cafeteria. JJ wouldn’t be there, after all, since he had just sent him on a hunt outside the building. Mind made up, he stepped out from behind the shrubbery that had been his sanctuary and wound his way back to the cafeteria.

When he entered, he found himself the target of many judgmental looks. The place quieted down and people stopped moving until it was totally silent. Then Yuri Plisetsky yelled, “You fucking fucker!”

Seung-Gil blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

Guang-Hong sidled up a few feet away from him and lifted his camera, clearly getting ready to take a photo. Out of nowhere, Phichit appeared next to him.

“What’s going on? Phichit?” His partner tapped away on his phone instead of answering. “What exactly is happening?”

“That’s what the rest of us were hoping to ask you.” Phichit crossed his arms, pursed his lips, and tapped his foot expectantly. “Where have you been? What have you been doing? What were you thinking?”

Seung-Gil felt his mouth open, but nothing came out. He was so confused. After a few moments, and a few pictures from Guang-Hong, Phichit seemed to come to a realization. “Seung-Gil,” his partner asked slowly, “why did you send JJ to the gardens?”

“He asked where someone might be and I gave him advice?” It came out as a question instead of sounding like the fact he knew it to be.

“Who do you think he was looking for?”

“I don’t know?”

The entire cafeteria let out a collective sigh at his answer. Yuri Plisetsky rolled his eyes so hard Seung-Gil thought they might fall out of his head. “Sorry, was I not supposed to do that?”

Phichit facepalmed. “You were supposed to-”

The door behind him slammed open, letting in the cold February air. JJ rushed in, a flush high on his cheeks and hair in disarray. He was clutching the bouquet so tightly that his knuckles were white. Somehow, he was still unfairly attractive. He came to a screeching halt next to Seung-Gil and practically slammed the bouquet into his chest. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Seung-Gil. Be my Valentine?”

As JJ let go of the flowers, Seung-Gil only caught them to prevent them from falling to the floor. His brain hadn’t entirely caught up yet. “Are these for me?” he asked.

“Who else would they be for?”

“Not me?” He looked around nervously. “Is this a joke? You’re not serious, are you?”

In the background, someone said, “Oh my God, he really is an idiot.” But JJ only smiled, his eyes soft, and answered, “I’m completely serious. I wouldn’t give these to anyone else.”

“Oh,” Seung-Gil said, feeling stupider by the second. He could feel himself turning very, very red, and his heart was beating very, very fast. “Thank you, then. Um, I didn’t get you anything. I wasn’t expecting this. I don’t- I don’t do Valentine’s Day.”

“It’s okay.” JJ reached out, took his hand, and twined their fingers together.

 

_Phichit Chulanont (phichit+chu) tagged you in a photo. “The meme…”_

 

**phichit+chu**

[photo]

314 likes

The meme is back! #tbt to #Viktuuri @v-nikiforov @katsukidon #jjseung for the win!

1 minute ago

 

**Guang-Hong Ji**

Monday, February 15 at 1:15am.

[photo] OH MY GOD IT’S BEEN TWELVE HOURS AND I STILL SCREAM EVERY TIME I LOOK AT THIS PHOTO - with **JJ Leroy** and **Seung-Gil Lee**.

 

 **Isabella Yang** omg so cute ! <3 <3

 **Yuri Plisetsky** fucking finally everyone was getting tired of the pining

 **Seung-Gil Lee** It’s 1 AM.

 **Guang-Hong Ji** so

 **Seung-Gil Lee** Why are you like this?

 **JJ Leroy** our love is immortalized!!

 **Seung-Gil Lee** Don’t encourage him.

 **Guang-Hong Ji** too late!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* * *

  1. **_Rostelecom Invitational at Moscow University_**



Guang-Hong watched as Seung-Gil tripped on the stairs, dropped his briefcase, and spilled his coffee on the sidewalk, and said, “Yikes.”

Seung-Gil felt frazzled this morning. To say the least. He had forgotten to set his alarm, his mother had spent ten minutes reminding him to improve his Spanish grade by Friday, his dog had chewed the original tie he had chosen, and he had been late picking up Guang-Hong. Still on his hands and knees, he watched his coffee cup roll away.

“Oh my God! Are you all right?” Sara Crispino came flying up next to him and started picking papers up from the sidewalk. While he appreciated her help, this meant Michele was not far behind. Which did not bode well. He scrambled to his feet, brushing the gravel off his pants, and frantically started shoving things into his briefcase. “I’m fine, thank you,” he mumbled.

“Hey!” Michele bellowed, only five yards away. Seung-Gil practically ripped the last few papers out of Sara’s hand and made a break for it. He could hear Guang-Hong laughing at him as the other boy ran alongside him.

JJ was leaning casually against the auditorium wall with his earbuds in. “JJ, open the door!” Seung-Gil yelled. “Open it now!” The other boy looked up and, thank whatever gods existed, pulled it open. He dashed through, but not fast enough.

“HEY!” Michele was so, so loud. “Hey! You gave my sister your phone!”

Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no oh no. Seung-Gil turned around slowly. Sure enough, Michele was holding a familiar phone in his hand. It was open to a page for creating a new contact. Seung-Gil had no doubts as to who the contact would have been for.

“You leave my sister alone!”

“I’m trying,” he gritted out, wondering how he could get his phone back without moving within ten feet of Michele.

“She’s worth ten of you! She doesn’t want your number!”

“And I don’t want hers!” Seung-Gil snapped back. “For the last time, I’m not interested in your sister!” He was so annoyed. The papers in his hands were getting irreparably crumpled. “I don’t know why you always get on my case! I’m not interested!”

“I have to protect Sara from hormonal teenage boys like you who push themselves on every girl they can see!”

“Stop yelling at me!” Tears of frustration were welling up in his eyes. He’d had enough. He stomped up to Michele, snatched his phone back, and hissed, “Leave me alone. And for that matter, leave Sara alone. You’re not protecting her. You’re just preventing her from making her own choices.” He left Michele openmouthed by the auditorium doors and sat down by Phichit, who stared at him incredulously.

“Someone got off on the wrong side of the bed.” A moment of blissful silence, then, “What is that tie?”

“It’s rainbow,” Seung-Gil answered.

Phichit pursed his lips. “Is it in a feather pattern?”

“Yes?”

“It’s godawful.”

He was offended. “This is my favorite tie.”

Phichit stared at him incredulously. After a few moments, he sighed and said, “At least we’ll be memorable.”

His phone buzzed in his hand, telling him that he had one new message from “ _Sara Crispino <3 _”. He stared incredulously at it.

“You have a heart for Sara’s contact but not for mine?” JJ whined, peering over his shoulder. “But I’m the one dating you.”

“She put her number in my phone without permission,” Seung-Gil griped. He threw his phone across the room and decided not to care where it landed. Phichit and JJ gasped in unison.

“Seung-Gil, that _hurt_ me!”

“You’re going to break your phone! Also, is your tie rainbow?” His boyfriend actually yanked on his tie, pulling Seung-Gil uncomfortably close to his face. “This is terrible. It doesn’t go with your complexion at all. You’re a winter, you can’t wear half of these colors!”

Phichit gasped dramatically and actually set his phone down. “JJ, you know color theory?”

“Of course I do. How else do you think I dress so well?”

“Finally, someone who understands me! You have to help me convince Seung-Gil that half his outfits are godawful! And I mean both the casual ones and the debate ones.”

“He dresses this badly outside of debate too?” JJ asked, horrified.

“I do not dress badly,” Seung-Gil mumbled, but the two completely ignored him. Phichit scrolled through his phone and began digging up old Snapchats that he had screenshotted, yammering on about textures and undertones while JJ nodded seriously and occasionally talked about fit and fabrics. As they began pulling up pictures of clothes that they said were absolutely essential for him to buy, he resigned himself to putting up with this for the entirety of the tournament.

 

“We’ll do better next time,” Phichit promised, but Seung-Gil only had eyes for the text from his mom that said, _You should have stayed at home to study Spanish if you weren’t going to break._ He didn’t know how to explain that debate was a fickle mistress, that even the best and most brilliant had tournaments where they fell over. That debate was hypercompetitive and success only went to those who are willing to work, and work, and work. Inevitably that meant other things fell by the wayside, like his Spanish grade. He settled on sending, _I’ll have it fixed by the end of the week._

“We’ll do better,” his partner repeated. “This is a learning experience.”

“We’ll do better,” he echoed. In the background, he could hear the Crispinos having yet another row, Yuri Plisetsky and Yuuri Katsuki eating pastries, and JJ singing a song he wrote by, for, and about himself. Despite being in the same room, it all felt very far away in the heaviness of his disappointment.

JJ came bounding up to them and thrust his phone at their faces. “Look! Montreal LY is the number one seed heading into elims! It’s JJ style!” He proceeded to do his dumb pose.

“A team is two people,” Seung-Gil snarked. “So it’s not just JJ style. It’s Isabella style too.”

“Amen to that,” Isabella called from where she was sitting. “He wouldn’t know what to do half the time without me.”

“It’s… Isabella style?” JJ tried out, not quite as enthusiastic. He looked at his own hands, clearly trying to figure out how to form an “I” and a “Y” that would be obvious to the casual observer. It only took a few minutes for him to give up, and then he asked, “What seed are you guys?”

“Thirty-eight,” Seung-Gil bit out, while Phichit said politely, “We didn’t break.” His phone buzzed in his hand. _Are you leaving soon?_ Seung-Gil typed out, _In five minutes_ , and received _Drive safely_ in return. He turned sharply on his heel and walked away from Phichit and JJ to leave the building.

“Where are you going?” his boyfriend shrieked at his back. In a few moments he had caught up and threaded their hands together. “Aren’t you going to watch me and Izzy in octos?”

He shook free. “I have to go home.”

JJ didn’t follow him this time.

Seung-Gil’s steps echoed in his ears.  


**_JJ Leroy_ **

_r u mad at me?_

_seung-gil?_

_did i do smth wrong_

_seung-gil_

_seung-gil_

_i’m sorry_

_Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I be mad at you? You’ve done nothing wrong._

_omg u responded !!!!_

_finally_

_i was getting worried_

_Clearly._

_I was studying._

_How is the tournament going?_

_waiting for semis results_

_Good luck._

_OMG U WISHED ME GOOD LUCK_

_ <3 <3 <3 <3 _

_LOOK AT KING JJ WORKING HIS CHARMS_

_If you say “It’s JJ style” I will drive back to Moscow University and strangle you._

 

 **Guang-Hong Ji** posted a photo.

Man, they’re on a roll! Congrats to the queen **Isabella Yang** and **JJ Leroy** for winning the Rostelecom Cup, and congrats to **Yuri Plisetsky** and **Otabek Altin** for making it to finals once again! (Possible TOC finals showdown??? I’m here for this.)

[photo]

 

 **Isabella Yang** guang hong your posts touch me every time :’) tysm

 **Seung-Gil Lee** Congratulations, Isabella.

 **JJ Leroy** it’s JJ style!!

 **Yuri Plisetsky** STOP SAYING THAT I’M GOING TO KILL YOU

 **Seung-Gil Lee** It looks like I don’t need to come to Moscow myself to kill you. I’ll just let Yuri do it.

 **Yuri Plisetsky** ill do it to save the world

 

**Guang-Hong Ji**

Sunday, March 28 at 10:04 pm.

It’s #IsabellaStyle - with **Isabella Yang**.

 

 **Mila Babicheva** i am Here for this

 **Yuuko Nishigori** QUEEN. SLAY. BLOOD IS POURING OUT OF MY NOSE RIGHT NOW. CAN’T HANDLE THIS.

 **Yuuri Katsuki** Her nose really is bleeding.

 **Isabella Yang** <3 <3 <3 <3

 **Yuri Plisetsky** 100000000x better than ‘‘‘‘‘‘‘‘‘‘‘jj style’’’’’’’’’’’’

 **JJ Leroy** i resent this

 **JJ Leroy** this was my idea

* * *

  1. **_Tournament of Champions at Marseille High School_**



2017 TOC Entries (70) 

School                                    Entry                                       Points

Bangkok/Pyeongchang           Chulanont & S. Lee                  50.1

Bern High School                    Aebischer & Giacometti           60

Hasetsu HS                             Katsuki & Nikiforov                 68.7

Los Angeles/Beijing                de la Iglesia & G. Ji                  45.4

Montreal                                 Leroy & I. Yang                       87.5

Naples/Prague                        M. Crispino & Nekola              47.2

St. Petersburg HS                    Altin & Plisetsky                     71.3

St. Petersburg HS                    Babicheva & S. Crispino          53.9

 

Nobody was prepared for JJ and Isabella to spectacularly bomb their first TOC round, but then the top-ranked team of the season did even worse the second round. Seung-Gil stared at his phone, not comprehending the results page at all. Montreal LY sat at the bottom with 0 wins and the lowest speaker points of all the teams. Yuuri Katsuki and Phichit were murmuring to each other instead of boisterously joking and gossiping as they usually did, no doubt discussing this unexpected development. Nobody had seen either JJ or Isabella for the entire morning. Whenever the two of them showed up, they would face a very thorough investigation.  


**_JJ Leroy_ **

_What happened?_

_JJ?_

_where r u_

_Palais Hall._

_can u come to kinoshita hall_

_Why?_

_just come pls_

_Fine. I’m coming._

 

He pocketed his phone and sprinted out the door. His briefcase was rattling alarmingly and his suit jacket was coming undone, but he didn’t stop. The door to Kinoshita Hall was wide open to facilitate easier passage in and out of the building, and he dashed inside, looking wildly around for JJ.

“Seung-Gil!” Isabella’s  voice rang out in the hall. She had been sitting on the floor but was now getting up. “Thank goodness!”

He rushed to meet her, and as he approached, he noticed several small details that told him just how badly the first two rounds had gone for them. Isabella’s heels haphazardly lying on the ground. Her mascara in hand and tear tracks running down her face. JJ’s speech & debate sweatshirt on the floor. “He texted me. Where is he?”

“In the restroom.” She pointed to the door that she had been sitting next to, and Seung-Gil only paused to set his suitcase down before pushing his way inside. JJ was standing at the sink, head down and hands gripping the counter so tightly that his knuckles were white.

After what felt like an eternity, Seung-Gil said, “JJ.” The other boy lowered his head further and refused to acknowledge his presence. “JJ,” he repeated. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.” He waited. He was used to waiting. He had done it for years at tournaments. He had waited for a steady partner and for success and for a chance at TOC, and in the end he had gotten all those things. He could wait for JJ to answer him. “I don’t know! I don’t-”

JJ’s voice echoed loudly around the restroom, and when he continued speaking he sounded almost defeated, which was entirely uncharacteristic for someone who sang about how he was on top of the universe every other day of the week. “I panicked. Then Izzy panicked because I never panic, and she never panics so it just-” He cut himself off and waved one of his hands in a circle. “The pressure got to me.”

His words hung heavy in the air between them. Finally, Seung-Gil said, “We’ve all had those tournaments.”

This got a rise out of the other boy, who whirled around to face him with wild eyes. “But it’s TOC! Why did this happen at TOC? And why did this happen to me? This never happened before!”

“It happens.” Seung-Gil didn’t really understand. All he had ever wanted was to go to TOC. He knew that winning it was an unrealistic goal, but it seemed that JJ was determined to do the highly improbable.

“You don’t get it!” JJ yelled. He was growing visibly frustrated, although with what or whom Seung-Gil didn’t know. “I have to win! My parents are expecting me to! And I owe this to Isabella!”

“You don’t owe anybody anything.”

JJ slammed his hands on the counter. His mouth worked for a minutes, and then he roared, with a ferocity and volume that Seung-Gil hadn’t known anyone was capable of, “I used to date Isabella!”

He blinked. Someone’s phone buzzed, but they both ignored it.

“I used to date Izzy,” JJ repeated. “We had promise rings. I was devoted to her.” Each sentence felt like a stab to Seung-Gil’s heart. “And then we broke up. Since I couldn’t give her what I promised, I figured I’d give her a TOC championship instead.” _He’s not over her_ , Seung-Gil thought. _Why is he dating me?_ “She’s my best friend. I love her. I have to do this for her.” His voice was desperate.

Seung-Gil wasn’t sure he was capable of saying anything that wasn’t a curse word, so he caught JJ’s arm and hauled him out of the restroom, where Isabella was waiting. “You need to tell her what you just told me,” he said curtly. He left them standing together in the hallway and went back to Palais Hall.

 

**Guang-Hong Ji**

Saturday, April 9 at 1:45 pm.

[photo] Trouble in paradise? - with **Phichit Chulanont** , **Seung-Gil Lee** , **JJ Leroy** , and **Isabella Yang.**

 

 **Phichit Chulanont** yikes

 **Yuri Plisetsky** wtf did jj do i’ll skin him alive for you

 **Viktor Nikiforov** [photo] my and yuuri’s reaction to this photo

 **Phichit Chulanont** same tbh

 **Isabella Yang** check dms

 

**Phichit Chulanont ▶ Guang-Hong Ji**

13 mins ago

where’d that photo go (the one w/ jj & sg)?? i wanted to save vik’s photo comment

 

 **Guang-Hong Ji** i deleted it

 **Phichit Chulanont** i want that photo **Viktor Nikiforov**

 **Viktor Nikiforov** haha i sent it to u dw

 **Yuuri Katsuki** but phichit… it’s such an ugly photo

 **Phichit Chulanont** exactly   


**JJ Leroy ▶ Seung-Gil Lee**

1 min ago

Winning TOC would mean nothing if I didn’t have your support.

 

 **Seung-Gil Lee** This would have been more touching in person. As it is this post looks more like a publicity stunt than a genuine attempt at conversation.

 **JJ Leroy** ik ur angry w me but i didn’t know how else to get your attention

 **Seung-Gil Lee** I don’t want to talk about this on Facebook.

 

**seung-gillee**

[photo]

223 likes

At least my dog will always be there for me.

 

 **phichit+chu** this is like a subtweet but on ig

 **Jjleroy!15** Let me be there for you.

 

Seung-Gil was startled from his book when three trophies clattered down onto the table in front of him. JJ was standing next to him, a determined expression on his face. He was holding two more bags filled to the top and began emptying them rapidly, dumping everything on the table. When he was finished, he looked Seung-Gil dead in the eyes, pointed at the collection of trophies and medals and said, “None of this means anything if you hate me at the end of this.”

“I don’t hate you,” Seung-Gil said. He picked up one of the trophies, big and golden with a winged woman on top, and stood it upright. “I don’t know why you would think that.” He dug out the silver bowl that was lying on its side at the bottom of the pile and began placing medals in it.

“You wouldn’t even look at me yesterday afternoon.” This was true. He had pushed away all of JJ’s attempts at physical contact and hadn’t looked directly at him once. Even now he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He continued arranging trophies. “Seung-Gil, I’m over Izzy. I’m dating you and not her, aren’t I?”

“You can date someone and not be over the person you dated before.” He noticed that everyone was gathering around them at a distance where they could hear what was going on but pretend that they weren’t trying to listen in. The attempt was ruined by the presence of Guang-Hong’s camera. “Isabella is wonderful.”

“I’m over her! We’re just friends! Seung-Gil, you have to trust me on this. There’s no real way for me to prove it to you. You can’t just prove emotions.”

“Why should I trust you?” he asked, finally looking into JJ’s eyes. The other boy’s eyes were still the same striking shade of blue that had gotten to him months before. They still made his breath catch in his throat, even as they filled with hurt. JJ snatched the bag back and haphazardly dumped the trophies inside. He stalked off, closely followed by Isabella, who threw him a concerned look over her shoulder. For some reason, that look drew Seung-Gil to his feet, and he called out, “Win the rest of your rounds!”

JJ whipped around and stared at him incredulously. Seung-Gil continued standing, fists clenched. He should have said this before. He should have said this before JJ tried to explain himself. “JJ, if you’re the king you make yourself out to be, you’ll win your next five rounds and have ridiculously high speaker points and then break. I believe in you.”

“I don’t care about rounds or winning or this freaking tournament-”

“I want you to win for yourself,” Seung-Gil interrupted. “Don’t win for Isabella or for me or for anyone else. Win for yourself.”

Despite the distance between them, he could hear JJ inhale sharply. After a moment, the other boy nodded.

 

“The Celestino Cialdini Award is given annually to the team two spots away from breaking, or the number 18 seed after preliminary rounds.” Celestino was surprisingly comfortable with presenting an award that immortalized how exceedingly bitter he had been as a high school debater. “This year, the award goes to a team that I have coached myself, Bangkok/Pyeongchang Chulanont and Lee.”

Phichit swept the award from his coach’s hands with a gleeful smile, shoving it into Seung-Gil’s hands so Guang-Hong could take a photo of the two of them. Seung-Gil found himself with the wooden plaque perched in his lap while his partner cheered Yuuri Katsuki on as the senior received the top speaker award. The octofinalists and quarterfinalists passed by in a flurry of faces that he couldn’t recognize, and then semifinalists were being called to the stage. Christophe Giacometti and JJ both draped one arm around their partners, although Christophe’s posturing was overtly more sexual than JJ’s. “From Bern High School, Julien Aebischer and Christophe Giacometti. From Montreal High School, JJ Leroy and Isabella Yang.”  
“It’s JJ style!” JJ yelled as he received his trophy, eliciting a sigh from the entire room, but Seung-Gil smiled. The other boy seemed happy and confident, and that was all he had wanted.

“We will be revealing the decision of the final round now. Can we have St. Petersburg AP and Hasetsu KN come up to the stage, please?” the announcer asked.

The four debaters filed solemnly onto the stage. The room quieted down until Seung-Gil found himself sitting in an all-encompassing silence that he had never experienced at a debate tournament before. The final round had been the debate of the season, and would most likely be the best debate anyone had ever seen for the next couple of years. Yuri Plisetsky and Otabek Altin had been the top seed at the end of preliminary rounds, while Yuuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov had lost one of their rounds but had gotten the highest speaker points. With both Yuuri and Viktor graduating, Yuri and Otabek would be entirely unrivalled for the next two years of their debate careers. Now all four stood in front of the best of the best of the debate community and waited for a decision that would either give the youngest team at TOC or the most decorated team on the circuit the ultimate championship.

“On a 3-2 decision, St. Petersburg Altin and Plisetsky has won the final round.”

The room exploded into sudden motion. Guang-Hong’s camera went off several times in a row. Viktor Nikiforov kissed Yuuri Katsuki. Yuri Plisetsky received his trophy and proceeded to push the two seniors off the stage. Mila Babicheva surged to her feet, screaming and applauding, and brought the rest of the St. Petersburg team to their feet as well. Phichit ran to the stage as he waved his phone wildly. Seung-Gil stayed seated with the Celestino Cialdini award in his lap, watching everyone, because quite frankly he just couldn’t bring himself to pretend that he was capable of talking to these people without making it awkward.

“Seung-Gil!”

He turned in his seat, and JJ was there, smiling brighter than the sun. He was clutching his semis trophy triumphantly. “Look! I made it to semis!”

“You did,” he agreed. Warmth was spreading through his chest with every second he looked at him.

JJ paused for a moment, forming his words, and then said, “Thank you for earlier. I needed to hear that.”

“Of course.” Seung-Gil had never smiled for this long. It was very strange. His cheeks were beginning to hurt.

“And I think you need to hear this.”

The smile fell off his face immediately.

“You’re gorgeous. Everytime I look at you I’m shocked at how photogenic you are. You’re also really intelligent. Whenever you talk about something it seems like you know everything about it. You debate really well and you’re super articulate even when you’re being sarcastic and ripping me apart.” Seung-Gil was confused. What exactly was happening? “You’re always poised and put together, even when you’re really frazzled on the inside. Your sarcasm makes me laugh but you’re also capable of building people up. You’re dedicated to debate and loyal to the people you care about and that’s really admirable.” JJ paused, eyes filling with something he couldn’t quite place, and Seung-Gil felt his cheeks heating up. “I want to be your boyfriend. I want to look bad next to you in photos. I want to be the victim of your sarcasm that Phichit laughs at on Twitter. I want to be the guy who sees your rainbow tie first in the morning. I-”

Seung-Gil decided to stop that there. JJ’s rant was getting very long. “You’re already all those things,” he said. His face was on fire, and it was only made worse by everyone turning from the spectacle of the TOC finalists and towards them instead. “You’ve never stopped being any of those things. I was angry yesterday, but you were still all that and more to me.” JJ gaped at him, mouth wide open, and he stood up from his chair to take his boyfriend’s hand. “I want to be your boyfriend,” he said, as earnestly as possible.

After what felt like an eternity of them both staring at each other, JJ took the wooden plaque proclaiming Bangkok/Pyeongchang CL the 2017 winners of the Celestino Cialdini Award from his arms and set both that and the trophy down on the nearest chair. Stepping forward, he moved into Seung-Gil’s personal space, and asked, “Can I kiss you?”

Seung-Gil nodded.

 

_King JJ (Jjleroy!15) tagged you in a photo: “A perfect…”_

 

**Jjleroy!15**

[photo]

376 likes

A perfect end to the debate season.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how I got into this ship but I did and I figured, well, if there aren't a lot of people writing anything for it I guess I should. This entire fic got away from me. To say the least.


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